I'm interested in transfering my pledge. I'll certainly buy a copy if the game ever comes out, but, for various reasons I don't expect to be alive when that happens.

I also lack confidence in Josh participating in any way in the brokering of such deals. It has been said by others that Josh is the only one that can make transfers happen, but I disagree. Given that the rewards are promised to be DRM-free, it's entirely possible to transfer my stake in the game myself. Either sending the keys or whatever else is granted at the end of production. One way or another, whether or not Josh is involved we can handle transfers ourselves.

So here's my backer info:

Selected reward
$30
BLACK FRIDAY BUDDYPACK . Give the gift of infinity this holiday season, and treat your friend to a limitless expanse of open space to explore! Includes TWO digital, DRM-free copies of Limit Theory.

*** PLEASE NOTE THAT THIS IS A SPECIAL TIER, AND HIGHER REWARD TIERS DO NOT INCLUDE IT! ***

Given that the rewards are promised to be DRM-free, it's entirely possible to transfer my stake in the game myself. Either sending the keys or whatever else is granted at the end of production. One way or another, whether or not Josh is involved we can handle transfers ourselves.

Without Josh there is no real transferring of pledges, at least until the game is actually released, because a seller has nothing they can actually transfer. There is of course nothing stopping someone from sending a seller some money and accepting a promise that a key would be forthcoming once the game was released, but there is a huge level of trust required in that transaction.

There is of course nothing stopping someone from sending a seller some money and accepting a promise that a key would be forthcoming once the game was released, but there is a huge level of trust required in that transaction.

This is true. I wonder if there's a way to make an enforceable contract prior to cash transfer. There's got to be a way to digitally sign binding contracts in web-space tied to real ID but anonymous unless there's a breach. It's 2016, I feel like that should exist. Anyone know?

There is of course nothing stopping someone from sending a seller some money and accepting a promise that a key would be forthcoming once the game was released, but there is a huge level of trust required in that transaction.

This is true. I wonder if there's a way to make an enforceable contract prior to cash transfer. There's got to be a way to digitally sign binding contracts in web-space tied to real ID but anonymous unless there's a breach. It's 2016, I feel like that should exist. Anyone know?

Yes it has been a thing since at least 2000 according to this article. (I have not read through the entire article, I did glance through and I think it links to what you may want.)

I'm interested in what you find and what works best for you. Please post your findings here.

Any transaction done in this manner is still on shifty ground in my opinion. That article simply states that electronic signatures can be legally binding in the USA.

So a buyer and seller draft a simple contract and e-sign it, then the buyer sends some money to the seller and sits on the contract until a game is released. At the time of release they are still relying on trust more than anything that the seller will actually send a key to them. Is anyone truly expecting a buyer to take legal action to force a seller to live up to their side of the deal? When we're talking about $20 (or even a couple of hundred) the idea of getting a lawyer and going to small claims court (if both parties happen to live in the same country) is a little far fetched considering the game itself will be out and much cheaper to procure than a lawsuit would be.

The hurdle to a transfer is not getting a better promise from the seller, it is creating some automated way for the key to transfer upon release so a seller cannot back out, or simply forget, or whatever.